Church of St Andrew, Holcombe

The Church of St. Andrew close to Downside Abbey in Holcombe, Somerset, England has late Saxon-early Norman origins and was rebuilt in the 16th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[1] and is a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2] It was vested in the Trust on 1 August 1987.[3]

Church of St. Andrew
LocationHolcombe, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°15′17″N 2°28′33″W
Built16th century
Governing bodyChurches Conservation Trust
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChurch of St. Andrew
Designated2 June 1961[1]
Reference no.267901
Location of Church of St. Andrew in Somerset

The old church on the site was consecrated by Archbishop Wrotard of York in 928.[4]

The church has a two-stage tower and two-bay nave.[1]

The interior includes late Georgian box pews[2] and a Jacobean pulpit.[1] In the graveyard is a memorial to the family of Robert Falcon Scott whose father managed the brewery in the village. There is also a yew tree that is thought to be about 1500 years old.[5]

The original medieval village was buried at the time of the plague and St Andrews is surrounded by the mounds that bear testimony to this burial. It is suggested that the rhyme 'Ring a Ring o' Roses' began there as a result. An alternative explanation relates to the drowning of five children from the village in an icy pond in 1899.[6]

The parish is part of the benefice of Coleford with Holcombe within the Midsomer Norton deanery.[7]

See also

References
  1. Historic England, "Church of St. Andrew, Holcombe (1058677)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 July 2013
  2. St Andrew's Church, Holcombe, Somerset, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 2 April 2011
  3. Diocese of Bath and Wells: All Schemes (PDF), Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2011, p. 3, retrieved 2 April 2011
  4. Dunning, Robert (2007). Somerset Churches and Chapels: Building Repair and Restoration. Halsgrove. p. 29. ISBN 978-1841145921.
  5. "Holcombe village design statement" (PDF). Mendip Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  6. "St Andrews Old Church Holcombe Somerset". Imaging me. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  7. "St Andrew, Holcombe". Church of England. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
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